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Bodybuilding Nutrition Basics
The nutrition in any good bodybuilding diet is going to depend on three basic factors; carbs, fat and protein. Bodybuilding is all about getting the balance right between the quality and quantity of your carbs, fats and proteins. The basics for any bodybuilder would probably start with a pre and post workout meal or shake.
When most people think about building muscle they should also think about protein because without increasing your protein intake your weight training is only going to cause over-training symptoms. Increased protein intake when training with weights is the minimum required to ensure success.
Unfortunately most bodybuilders have too much protein which just turns into expensive glucose if your muscle repair does not need more protein. Science tells us that 1 gram of protein for each pound of bodyweight is what is required to repair the muscle completely, most bodybuilders take 1.2 grams.
If we are looking at the basics for bodybuilding nutrition then we need to take a closer look at what nutrition means is proteins, carbs and fats. Starting with protein we first need to define where it comes from. Most vegetables have some protein in them but your primary source of protein will come from poultry, fish, meat, fish, beans and all dairy products.
The next vitally important food source to build muscle is fats which many bodybuilders trying to lose fat make the mistake of eliminating it completely from their diet. The qualities of the fats you take in are a lot more important than the quantities.
Your selection of fats should be carefully chosen so that you make sure you are getting vegetable fats like olive oil, nuts and seeds, animal fat called saturated fats and highly processed trans fats should be avoided. 20% to 25% of your total daily calorie intake should be from healthy fats.
The last important food source is obviously carbohydrates which you need to create the energy to train. Complex carbs are required when doing any high intensity workout for more than 15 minutes. Vegetables, brown rice, pasta and heavy bread should make up 50% to 55% of your total daily calorie intake.
Pre and post workout meals are the most important in your diet when your objective is muscle gain. You need to mix your proteins and your carbs correctly to get the best results after a tough workout. Sport science has proven that this pre and post workout meal/shake will help to speed up protein synthesis and repair the damage you did to your muscles as effectively as possible.